Wang Hao stood outside the kindergarten for a long time, taking several photos before turning to leave.
He sat in a breakfast shop and sent a message to Liu Chunlan:
"Mom, I've got everything figured out and bought the tickets. Tidy up the house; I'll be home tonight."
Liu Chunlan was thrilled:
"Great, I'll mop the floors for you all.
"I'll be waiting for you at home."
Satisfied, Wang Hao ate two baskets of steamed buns and returned to his hotel to check out.
Lin Wanyi had almost finished her script and sent it over to her editor-in-chief.
She felt uneasy, a lingering sense that something was about to happen.
Li Suhua, on the other hand, returned home in high spirits:
"Wanyi, I found a good job cleaning at a hotel.
"Eight hours a day, with a monthly salary of 2,800.
"I get eight days off a month, and because of my age, they won't even make me work night shifts.
"I start tomorrow."
Lin Wanyi felt a pang of heartache:
"Mom, why do you need to work? Jiajun and I are both making money; you don't need to get a job.
"Your health isn't great to begin with, so just stay home and help me watch Keke.
"My salary is high now, and I can give you two thousand a month. You really don't have to work."
Li Suhua took a sip of water:
"It's fine, I can still work. I only got this job because I know someone there.
"You and Jiajun are making money, but you both have your own lives.
"Jiajun is getting married and will have a baby soon, which will cost a lot.
"You also have to raise Keke.
"You both have your own pressures. I might not make big money, but earning enough for living expenses is still something."
Lin Wanyi didn't press the issue.
If Li Suhua insisted, she would let her go.
Maybe working would make her feel a bit better.
If she couldn't handle it, she could always quit and come back home.
Receiving a reply from the editor, there were quite a few places to revise.
Lin Wanyi sat in front of the computer for another hour or so.
Checking the time, it was almost Keke's school dismissal time.
She immediately put on her coat and rode her little electric scooter to pick up Keke.
She remembered her promise to Keke: she would be the first one to pick her up.
She wanted to stand in front of all the other parents and grandparents so that Keke would see her at first glance.
But today, she stood there from the beginning to the end and didn't see Keke looking around for her mom.
Even after all the parents had left, she still hadn't seen Keke.
She had a strong, ominous premonition.
Just as she was about to ask the teacher, the teacher looked at her with surprise:
"Keke's mom, why are you here?"
Lin Wanyi replied in confusion, "I'm here to pick up Keke, Ms. Li. Why haven't I seen her?"
"She left at noon, didn't you know?"
"What?"
Lin Wanyi turned pale with fright: "How is that possible? No one in our family came to pick her up.
"How could she have left? How could you let her leave alone?"
"No," the teacher hurriedly explained.
"She didn't leave alone. Her dad picked her up."
"Her dad?"
Lin Wanyi's pupils contracted violently.
"Her dad?" she asked repeatedly. "Are you sure it was her dad who picked her up?"
"Yes, he said there was an emergency at home. I also asked Keke if he was her dad.
"She said yes, which is why we let him take her."
Lin Wanyi had just heard the worst news possible.
Wang Hao had taken Keke. Where was he taking her?
With trembling hands, she removed Wang Hao from her block list and called him like a madwoman.
But Wang Hao didn't answer. Not a single call.
She sent messages:
"Wang Hao, where did you take Keke?
"Tell me right now, where did you take Keke?"
Wang Hao didn't reply to a single word.
Panic-stricken, she rode her scooter back home as fast as she could.
She prayed that Wang Hao would bring the child back.
But she was wrong.
Only Li Suhua was at home.
Seeing her anxiously searching every room, Li Suhua quickly asked:
"Wanyi, what are you looking for?
"Where's Keke? Weren't you going to pick her up? Where is she?"
After failing to find anyone anywhere, Lin Wanyi collapsed crying in front of Li Suhua:
"Mom, Keke is gone. Keke was taken by Wang Hao."
"What?"
Li Suhua couldn't believe it:
"You're saying Wang Hao took Keke from the kindergarten?"
Lin Wanyi cried so hard she couldn't catch her breath:
"What do we do, Mom? What do we do?
"Where on earth would Wang Hao take Keke?"
Li Suhua didn't know either, but she immediately thought of calling the police:
"Call the police, I'll call the police. The child is missing."
After calling the police, she called Lin Jiajun.
By the time Lin Jiajun returned, Lin Wanyi was completely out of her wits.
Lin Jiajun supported her: "Sis, calm down.
"Let's think about this. What was Wang Hao's purpose in coming here this time?"
"What was it?" Lin Wanyi repeated mechanically.
"Sis, he came this time to take you guys back to fulfill your filial duties to Wang Jianguo.
"Where do you think he would take Keke?"
Lin Wanyi suddenly stood up: "He's going back to Wangjia Village. He's taking Keke back to Wangjia Village."
"Right."
Lin Jiajun grabbed Lin Wanyi and started walking:
"Sis, hurry up and track the location on Keke's smartwatch. Let's see if they are at the train station or the airport."
Sitting in the car, Lin Wanyi opened the tracking app with trembling hands.
Sure enough, the app showed that Keke was currently at the train station.
"The train station, Jiajun, hurry! Keke is at the station."
Lin Jiajun drove at top speed, and Li Suhua called 110 again:
"The train station, officer. We checked the watch's location, and the child is at the train station right now.
"Please get there first."
Lin Wanyi continued to call Wang Hao over and over again.
Inside the station, Wang Hao was standing in line holding Keke.
Ticket checking would begin in ten minutes.
Then he could take Keke back.
Liu Chunlan was right; Keke was Lin Wanyi's life.
As long as Keke went back, Lin Wanyi would obediently follow.
He should have thought of this earlier.
The line moved forward bit by bit.
The staff began checking tickets.
Lin Jiajun drove even faster.
Lin Wanyi checked the train schedules.
The next train to City B would depart in twenty minutes.
She fell into despair.
It was too late. Even if Lin Jiajun could fly, they wouldn't make it in time.
She called 110 again, and the operator told her:
"We are already contacting the railway police. Don't worry. Even if the child gets on the train, we still have a way.
"There are railway police on board."
Lin Wanyi was helpless. By the time Lin Jiajun arrived, the train had already been rumbling away for over twenty minutes.
Keke had still been taken away by Wang Hao.
"Keke!"
She screamed in the station hall, almost fainting.
The railway police found her:
"We did find your daughter, and she did indeed get on the train."
Lin Wanyi suddenly saw hope again. She tightly grabbed the police officer's sleeve:
"Officer, you found my daughter. Please have the police protect her.
"Please make her get off at the next stop, and I'll go pick her up immediately.
"I'm begging you, please."
She pleaded with all her might, lowering herself completely, but the police officer said:
"I'm sorry, we can't do that."
